JPH0984212A - Power supply apparatus of electric car - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the performance of a power supply apparatus by a method wherein a plurality of batteries are connected to compose a battery assembly, a plurality of the batteries are connected selectively in parallel to a control circuit group with selection switches, the states of the respective electric energies stored in a plurality of the batteries are decided and the connection operations of the selection switches are controlled in accordance with the decision. SOLUTION: Selection switches 25d and 25g which are connected to both the positive side and negative side of a battery 13c are closed and the battery 13c are connected in parallel to a control stabilizer circuit and a power of 12V is directly supplied to control circuits, etc. This state is maintained as long as the capacity of this battery is larger than the capacities of other batteries. If smaller, the power supply is switched from this battery to the other one. Therefore, the batteries having large remaining capacities are also used as batteries for control circuits as well and the capacities of the respective batteries are inspected every predetermined time interval to switch the battery for the control circuit, so that the nonuniformity of the remaining capacities of the respective batteries can be avoided and the respective batteries can be uniformly discharged for the operation. As a result, the performance of a power supply apparatus can be improved.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a power supply device for use in an electric vehicle, and more particularly to a power supply device for supplying electric power to a traveling motor of the electric vehicle and a control circuit group mounted on the power supply device. It is intended to improve.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, as a next-generation vehicle that replaces an internal combustion engine vehicle such as a gasoline vehicle, an electric vehicle using an electric motor for traveling has attracted attention. Electric vehicles that use clean electric energy are a major cause of air pollution.
It is said to be able to fundamentally solve environmental problems such as harmful exhaust gas and noise of internal combustion engine automobiles that occupy 0% or less, and to double the resource life of fossil fuels such as oil. .

Similar to a conventional gasoline vehicle, an electric vehicle has traveling wheels suspended from a vehicle body through a shock absorber, is rotationally driven by a power transmission device using an electric motor as a drive source, and then the electric motor. Is being supplied with power from the power supply device.

The power supply device generally comprises a main battery using a plurality of batteries, a stabilizing circuit for stabilizing and supplying the output of the main battery, an electric motor for traveling, and a motor drive circuit for directly controlling motor rotation. , A control circuit for outputting a speed command or the like to the motor drive circuit. Then, the motor driving force generated from the motor is transmitted to the traveling wheels via the power transmission device as in the conventional case.

As a main battery of a power supply device for supplying electric power to a traveling motor, an assembled battery in which a plurality of batteries are connected in series is usually used, and it is provided so that a predetermined voltage can be obtained for the traveling motor. .

In the power supply device for supplying electric power to the traveling motor, the main battery means the whole of the batteries that make up the power supply, and the auxiliary battery to be described later refers to the voltage drop of these main batteries. The battery pack is a battery to be replenished, and the assembled battery means a plurality of batteries constituting the main battery, which are combined and connected. Therefore, the battery pack refers to batteries in a plurality of combinations, paying attention to the connection state.

The battery constituting this main battery has the following characteristics. That is, the terminal voltage of the battery gradually decreases as time passes when the battery is used for discharging,
Draw a discharge curve as shown in. When the terminal voltage at the tip of the curve is reached, discharging of the battery is stopped to protect the battery. Further, as shown in FIG. 10, these discharge curve characteristics are known to vary depending on the used current, and it is known that the dischargeable time changes when the used current changes. Therefore, in order to accurately grasp the amount of electric energy remaining in the battery, a remaining capacity meter using various methods is required.

[0008] As this method, a method of determining from the drop rate of the terminal voltage of the main battery, a method of integrating and determining from the power consumption obtained by multiplying the terminal voltage and the current, and calculating the internal resistance from the terminal voltage and the current, A method of estimating from the increase rate of internal resistance is known. Such a remaining capacity meter is installed in an electric vehicle to estimate the remaining capacity of the main battery and display the mileage and the like on a panel or the like to inform the driver of the electric vehicle.

The electric power from the main battery has its voltage stabilized by a stabilizing circuit and is fed through a power supply line (not shown).
It is supplied to various equipment such as motors. Further, since the voltage to be supplied is basically supplied for the motor, it is set to a relatively high voltage of DC 48V. The 12V required to operate the headlights, warning horns, control circuits, etc. mounted on the vehicle is obtained by converting this 48V by a D / D converter.

The main electric power is supplied to the motor via the motor drive circuit, and the output voltage of the traveling motor is controlled by increasing / decreasing the effective voltage to the motor by the chopper control of the motor drive circuit. The duty ratio of the chopper control for increasing / decreasing this voltage is commanded by the control circuit, and this control circuit is electrically connected to the accelerator. Therefore, the control circuit sets the duty ratio according to the accelerator opening setting of the driver, and by increasing or decreasing the effective voltage supplied to the motor by the motor drive circuit based on this duty ratio,
The output operation of the motor is performed according to the accelerator opening degree, and a desired vehicle traveling speed is obtained.

[0011]

However, according to the above-mentioned conventional power supply device, the self-discharge characteristics of the respective batteries constituting the main battery are different from each other, and therefore, by using the discharge, the individual batteries can be discharged. Non-uniformity of the remaining capacity occurs during the period. Further, it is known that the battery having a smaller capacity has a higher voltage drop rate than the others, and thus the tendency of non-uniformity in the remaining capacity increases. Due to this non-uniformity, each battery has a non-uniform remaining capacity at the end of discharge, so even in a fully charged state from this state, the remaining capacity of each battery becomes non-uniform, and eventually This non-uniform tendency will not be eliminated.

On the other hand, as described above, the remaining capacity meter is mounted on the electric vehicle, the remaining capacity of the main battery is estimated, and the travelable distance and the like are displayed on a panel or the like to inform the driver of the electric vehicle. However, this remaining capacity is based on the battery with the smallest capacity among multiple batteries, and therefore the output of the main battery as a whole is restricted by the battery with the smallest capacity among these batteries. There was an inconvenience that As a result, there is a tendency that the total electric power energy of each battery cannot be used as the original main battery and the traveling distance and the like cannot be increased. Also, due to this non-uniformity, the burden of charging and discharging is applied to the biased battery, and as a result, the number of times of repeated charging and discharging is also reduced, so that the performance as a battery is reduced.

Further, since the motor output decreases as the voltage output from the main battery decreases, the running performance of the vehicle deteriorates. Therefore, the battery output cannot be maximized. Further, the accuracy of measuring the remaining capacity of the main battery is low, and for example, when it is displayed that the remaining capacity of the main battery is very small, there is a possibility that the true travelable distance cannot be accurately grasped. Furthermore, if the installed main battery is exhausted, it is necessary to suspend the vehicle itself by another vehicle, etc., until the main battery can be replaced or charged.
There was an inconvenience that a troublesome collection work was required.

Furthermore, the higher the voltage of this power supply unit, the more the operation of checking the condition of the power supply unit and replacing the battery,
There was a problem with danger. That is, for example, as the main battery in the current electric scooters, an assembled battery in which a plurality of batteries are connected in series is used, and a DC voltage of 48 V is obtained as the output voltage. This corresponds to an AC voltage of about 100 V and requires caution.

In view of the above points, the present invention is
(1) By grasping the usage state of each battery that constitutes the main battery and supplying electric power in parallel from the battery with a margin to other circuits, (2) when the output voltage of the main battery drops, By connecting auxiliary batteries in series and replenishing them,
Further, (3) to provide a power supply device for an electric vehicle with various performances improved by connecting a blocked battery connected to a human body by setting a voltage that is harmless to the human body through a conductive conductor provided on the cover. Has an aim.

[0016]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has the following constitution.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, in a power supply device for supplying electric power to a traveling motor of an electric vehicle and a control circuit group mounted therein, (1) a plurality of batteries are connected to output a predetermined motor voltage. And (2) an individual battery forming the assembled battery or a plurality of individualized batteries forming the assembled battery, corresponding to the individual battery or the plurality of individualized batteries. A selection switch for selectively connecting a battery in parallel to a control circuit group; (3) a determination means for determining an electric energy state held by the individual battery or a plurality of individualized batteries; A control means for selecting the individual battery or the plurality of individualized batteries having the maximum energy based on the energy state, and controlling the connection operation of the selection switch based on the selected battery. Electric It is a device.

According to the first invention of the present application, the state of the remaining capacity of each battery or each of a plurality of individualized batteries is discriminated, and a battery having a large capacity is used for supplying power to another circuit. It is possible to reduce the variation in the remaining capacity of each battery and use it on average, and it is possible to efficiently use the total power energy of each battery as the entire main battery. That is, only a specific battery can be prevented from being over-discharged, and the usable capacity per charge can be increased. In addition, since the discharged state of each battery can be made uniform, at the end of charging, an even charged state can be obtained. Furthermore, since it is possible to prevent a charge-discharge burden that is biased to a specific battery, it is possible to increase the number of times of repeated charge-discharge of the battery. As a result, the performance as the power supply device can be improved, so that the travelable distance as the electric vehicle can be increased and the overall performance can be improved.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in a power supply device for supplying electric power to a traveling motor of an electric vehicle and a control circuit group mounted therein, (1) a main battery for supplying electric power to the motor via a power supply line. And (2) voltage detection means for detecting a decrease in the output voltage of the main battery, and (3) series connection to the power supply line through connection means that can be connected to and released from the power supply line to supplement the voltage decrease of the main battery. A power supply device for an electric vehicle, comprising: an auxiliary battery; and (4) a control unit that outputs a connection signal to the connection unit when the voltage of the main battery drops, based on a voltage drop signal from the voltage detection unit.

According to the second invention of the present application, the decrease in the voltage output of the main battery is reduced by connecting the auxiliary battery in series, so that the voltage decrease at the end of discharge of the main battery is compensated to make the output constant. As a result, the battery as a whole can be used efficiently, and the output of the power supply unit can be made constant, so that the running performance of the vehicle can be improved.

Further, when the discharge output performance of the main battery is lowered due to the low temperature at the start of the low temperature environment, the auxiliary battery can be used to supplement the voltage drop of the main battery to maintain the running performance of the vehicle. be able to. That is, it is possible to prevent the output voltage from decreasing until the main battery is heated by the operating heat of various devices and returns to the normal output state after the vehicle starts at a low temperature.

A third invention of the present application is, in a power supply device for supplying electric power to a traveling motor of an electric vehicle and a control circuit group mounted therein, a case main body accommodating a plurality of batteries constituting a power supply, and the case main body. A case is formed by a case cover that covers the battery, and the case cover further connects the batteries to each other, or a battery group and another battery group connected in advance to each other, or one of the batteries in advance. The power supply device for an electric vehicle is configured to include a conducting conductor that connects the connected battery group to each other.

According to the third invention of the present application, since the blocked battery in which a plurality of batteries are connected is connected by the conductive conductor provided in the cover, it is possible to prevent electric shock during work such as checking the condition of the battery or replacing the battery. Can be ensured. Also,
When exchanging a consumed main battery, it is only necessary to remove the cover, and it is not necessary to attach / remove the connection cable accompanying the unloading of the individual blocked batteries, which facilitates the exchanging work.

[0024]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on specific examples shown in FIGS. In each specific example, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, an electric motorcycle (including a scooter), which is a type of an electric vehicle, will be described as an example. Also, the basic configuration of the electric motorcycle described here is
The same one is used.

This electric two-wheeled vehicle 1 has wheels 4 and 5 suspended from a vehicle body main frame 3 in front of and behind the vehicle body 2 as in a conventional two-wheeled vehicle driven by an internal combustion engine.
A seat 2a on which a driver is seated is provided substantially at the center. Further, the front wheels 4 are steered by the steering wheel 6, and the rear wheels 5 are rotationally driven not by the engine but by an electric motor 7 for traveling. Further, a display panel 8 provided in the central portion of the handle 6 is provided with a display instrument for displaying the traveling speed, the remaining capacity of the battery and the like, and various switches for operating the mounted equipment. Is provided with a main key switch 9 for turning on / off all the mounted devices.

An electric power unit 1 for supplying electric power for traveling to the motor to the main frame 3 and converting electric energy into mechanical motion by an electric motor 7 for traveling.
0 and a power transmission device 11 that appropriately converts this motor output into torque and efficiently transmits it to the rear wheels 5 are mounted. Although some are not shown, basically,
The accelerator / grip 6a, the brake lever 6b, the brake mechanism, the suspension and the like provided on the handle 6 are the same as those of the conventional two-wheeled vehicle. In addition, various operation switches such as the accelerator grip 6a, the brake lever 6b, and the main key switch 9 are
It is electrically connected to the electric power plant 10.

The electric power unit 10 includes a power supply unit 12 mounted at a substantially central lower position of the main frame 3 of the vehicle body 2,
Remaining capacity meter 14 mounted behind the vehicle body 2, stabilizing circuit 1
5, the control circuit 16, and various sensors provided in each mounted device, and the driving electric power is supplied to the traveling motor 7 by the cooperation operation of these devices and circuit groups. The charger 1 is provided on both sides of the power supply device 12.
7 and a motor drive circuit 18 are arranged. Further, a large heat dissipation plate 19 is provided directly below the charger 17 and the motor drive circuit 18 on the side of the vehicle body 2.
The heat generation amount generated when each of the circuits 17 and 18 operates is released to the atmosphere by means of 9, so that sufficient heat radiation processing can be performed.

The power supply device 12 comprises a main battery 13 fixed to the frame 3. This main battery 1
3, a plurality of batteries 13a, 13b, 13c, 13d, ... Are connected in series using a cable that prevents power transmission loss so that a predetermined output voltage such as 48V for a motor can be obtained. . Then, the power from the power supply device 12 is stabilized by the stabilizing circuit 16 and supplied to various on-board devices.

Further, a motor drive circuit 18 for driving the motor
Is mainly a MOS-F which is a high speed switching element.
It is composed of an ET circuit. Then, the chopper control by the switching operation of the FET circuit increases or decreases the effective voltage supplied to the traveling motor 7 to control the motor output. In addition, the switching control,
This is performed based on a control command from the control circuit 16 according to the accelerator opening degree and the like.

The control circuit 16 is composed of a microcomputer which receives signals from the accelerator / grip 6a and a sensor arranged in the mounted device and outputs a command and an operation state signal to the motor drive circuit 18 and the display panel 8. ing. The microcomputer includes an A / D converter that digitally converts each input signal, an I / O port, a CPU,
It is equipped with a memory, etc., and processes according to a program stored in the memory based on the accelerator opening by the operation of the accelerator grip 6a and the detection signals from various sensors, and the motor drive circuit 18 performs an appropriate operation such as a duty setting signal. It is provided to output a command.

Further, the power transmission device 11 comprises a transmission 20, and outputs the output of the traveling motor 7 to
The transmission 20 converts the torque into an appropriate torque and efficiently transmits the torque to the rear wheel 5.

Therefore, when the driver turns on the main key switch 9, the electric power unit 10 is activated,
Electric power is supplied from the power supply device 12 to each on-board device, and the electric motorcycle 1 can start. Next, when the driver operates the accelerator grip 6a, the control circuit 16 outputs an appropriate control command to the motor drive circuit 18 in response to the operation. Based on this control command, the motor drive circuit 18 increases or decreases the drive power supplied to the traveling motor 7 to adjust the output of the traveling motor 7. Then, the motor output is converted into an appropriate torque by the transmission 20 of the power transmission device and transmitted to the rear wheels 5, so that the electric motorcycle 1 travels forward at a speed desired by the driver.

[0033]

[Embodiment 1] A power supply device for an electric vehicle according to the first invention of the present application will be described below with reference to specific examples shown in FIGS.

The power supply device of this example is a main battery composed of an assembled battery in which a plurality of batteries are connected to each other, and at a certain point of time during discharge operation, the electric power remaining in each battery or each individual battery. By distinguishing the amount of energy required and using a battery with a large remaining amount for power supply to another circuit, the discharge usage of each battery can be made uniform and the main battery as a whole can be used efficiently. is there.

That is, the power supply device 21 of this example is composed of a circuit as shown in FIG. 2 and has a plurality of batteries 13a, 1a.
3b, 13c, 13d are connected in parallel to a main battery 13 configured by being connected in series and a connection line between these batteries 13a to 13d, and each of the batteries 13a to 13d is connected at a predetermined time interval.
The data collecting device 23 that determines the maximum capacity from the terminal voltage of 13d, and the battery 1 selected based on this maximum capacity.
3a to 13d are connected in parallel to the control stabilization circuit 24. Similarly, selection switch groups 25a to 25h using parallel-connected transistor switching elements, and switch drive for connecting and controlling the selection switch groups 25a to 25h. And a circuit 26.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the data collecting device 23 includes an analog multiplexer 27 which selectively and sequentially outputs the input terminal voltages of the respective batteries 13a to 13d, and the selected terminal. Based on an A / D converter 28 for converting a voltage into a digital signal and a digital signal corresponding to this terminal voltage, a micro-computer which judges processing according to a built-in program and outputs a predetermined control command to the switch drive circuit 26. It is composed of a computer 29.

The analog multiplexer 27 has a plurality of input terminals connected in parallel to the output terminals of the batteries 13a to 13d, and a single output terminal connected to the A / D converter 2 in the subsequent stage.
The output voltage input from each of the batteries 13a to 13d is selectively switched to be output. That is, the signal line for controlling the switching operation of the multiplexer 27 is connected to the microcomputer 29, and each battery 1 is operated based on the switching signal output from the microcomputer 29 according to the built-in program.
The terminal voltages of 3a to 13d are temporally sequentially and selectively switched and output to the A / D converter 28 in the subsequent stage.

The A / D converter 28 also converts the input terminal voltage into a digital signal having a value according to the level of the input terminal voltage, and outputs the digital signal to the microcomputer 29 at the subsequent stage.

Further, in the microcomputer 29, the digitized terminal voltage values of the batteries 13a to 13d are stored in the memory and processed in accordance with the built-in program, and the electricity remaining in the batteries 13a to 13d is stored. The estimated amount of energy is estimated, the remaining amounts are compared and collated, and the battery having the maximum remaining capacity is determined from the batteries 13a to 13d. Then, the battery of the maximum capacity (battery 13a-
13d), a predetermined operation command is output to the switch drive circuit 26 in order to connect the control stabilization circuit 24 in parallel. That is, this switch drive circuit 26
As a result, the selection switches 25a to 25h located between the both ends of the battery having the maximum capacity among the batteries 13a to 13d and the control stabilizing circuit 24 are connected, and the selected battery is transferred to the control stabilizing circuit 24. They are connected in parallel and supply current to the control circuit 16 and the like.

In this case, if the capacities of a plurality of batteries are considered to be the same, it is set to be selected appropriately.

Further, as the program for estimating the remaining capacity of each battery used in the microcomputer, it is possible to appropriately select and use from among various methods of a general remaining capacity meter. That is, a method of determining from the drop rate of the terminal voltage, a method of determining by integrating and tracking the power consumption obtained by multiplying the terminal voltage and current, calculating the internal resistance from the terminal voltage and current, and increasing rate of this internal resistance It may be selected from any of the methods estimated from the above, or these methods may be used in combination.

Further, the capacity value obtained by summing the remaining capacity of each battery and the remaining capacity value estimated from the voltage output of the main battery are compared and collated to improve the estimation accuracy of the remaining capacity value of the main battery. You may

Next, the power supply device 2 for such an electric vehicle
1 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 4, the terminal voltage output from each of the batteries 13a to 13d at a certain point during use of discharge,
When the remaining capacities vary, the data collection device 23 selects the battery having the largest remaining capacity, for example, the battery 13c.

Next, in FIG. 2, the selection switches 25d and 25g located at both the plus and minus sides of the selected battery 13c are turned on, and the battery 13c is connected in parallel to the stabilizing circuit 24 for control. Electric power of 12 V is directly supplied from the battery 13c to the control circuit 16 and the like. Then, this state is continued when the capacity of the battery is larger than the capacity of the other battery, and when it becomes smaller, the battery is switched to another battery. Therefore, a battery with a large remaining capacity is also used as the power source for the control circuit, and the capacity of each battery is checked at predetermined time intervals to switch the batteries to be used together. It is possible to avoid such a situation, and it is possible to use each battery for uniform discharge.

The time interval for checking the capacity of each battery may be set arbitrarily, for example, to prevent frequent switching of the batteries to the control battery, for example, 5 times.
It can also be relatively long, such as minutes apart. Also,
The check interval may be shortened while the switching operation interval may be lengthened, and the switching operation intervals may be appropriately combined. Furthermore, in the illustrated example, the state of charge of each battery is determined, but in addition to the individual batteries, a group of batteries that are grouped to some extent, that is, based on each of the plurality of individualized batteries, It may be performed by discriminating the state of the remaining capacity.

As described above, according to the power supply device for the electric vehicle of this example, in the main battery using the assembled battery in which a plurality of batteries are combined, the individual batteries or the individualized plurality of batteries remain. The capacity status is determined, and the one with the larger capacity is used for power supply to another circuit, so the variation in the remaining capacity of each battery can be reduced and the average capacity can be used. The total electric energy of the battery can be used efficiently. That is, only a specific battery can be prevented from being over-discharged, and the usable capacity per charge can be increased. In addition, since the discharged state of each battery can be made uniform, at the end of charging, an even charged state can be obtained. Furthermore, since it is possible to prevent a charge-discharge burden that is biased to a specific battery, it is possible to increase the number of times of repeated charge-discharge of the battery. As a result, the performance as the power supply device can be improved, so that the travelable distance as the electric vehicle can be increased and the overall performance can be improved.

In the present example, the one used for the electric vehicle has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the electric device using the assembled battery as the main battery, such as a portable portable device or an electric toy. It can be widely applied.

[0049]

[Embodiment 2] Next, a power supply device for an electric vehicle according to a second invention of the present application will be described with reference to specific examples shown in FIGS.

The power supply device of the present embodiment discriminates the output voltage status of the main battery, and when the voltage drops below a predetermined voltage value, a separately provided auxiliary battery is connected in series to the power supply line of this main battery. By doing so, the output voltage condition of the main battery is returned to the normal voltage, and the entire battery can be used efficiently.

That is, in the power supply device 31 of this example, as shown in FIG. 5, the auxiliary battery 3 is connected to the power supply line 32 connected from the main battery 13 to the motor 7 via the motor drive circuit 18.
It is configured by adding a voltage supplement circuit for connecting 3 in series. The power supply device 31 includes a main battery 13 including a plurality of batteries, an auxiliary battery 33 connected to a power supply line 32 of the main battery 13 via a switch circuit 34, and connected in series to the power supply line 32. , This switch circuit 34
When the output voltage of the main battery 13 is below a predetermined value, the switch circuit 3 is connected in parallel to the power supply line 32 on the motor side.
4 and a voltmeter 35 that outputs a command to make a connection operation. Further, the power supply line 32 on the motor 7 side of the voltmeter 35 is provided with an input changeover switch 36 for cutting off current supply from the main battery 13 and the auxiliary battery 33, and an external connection plug 37 connected to an external power source. It is set up.
Further, the main battery 13 and the auxiliary battery 33 are provided with dedicated remaining capacity meters 14 and 38, respectively.

The auxiliary battery 33 is at least the main battery 1.
A battery having the same charge characteristic as that of No. 3 and smaller in capacity than the main battery 13 is used. Further, the output voltage of the auxiliary battery 33 is not limited to one having a voltage value that compensates for the voltage drop of the main battery 13 in use, and a voltage value lower than this is configured to be connected via a booster circuit. May be.

The voltmeter 35 is connected in parallel to the power supply line 32, and the main battery 13 is energized in the power supply line 32.
Is set to output a connection signal to the switch circuit 34 when the output voltage from the output voltage drops to a predetermined voltage value.

The switch circuit 34 includes a transistor
A switch element is used, and the input terminal for connecting and operating this element is connected to the output terminal of the voltmeter 35. In the initial state of the switch circuit 34, the main battery 1
3, the motor drive circuit 18 is energized and supplied through the power supply line 32, and the auxiliary battery 33 is not connected to the power supply line 32. The auxiliary battery 33 is provided so as to be connected to the power supply line 32 in series based on the connection signal from the voltmeter 35.

Therefore, the main battery 13 is caused by the running of the vehicle.
When the voltage output of 1 has decreased to a predetermined value, the voltmeter 35 detects this and outputs a connection signal to the switch circuit 34. Then, by the connecting operation of the switch circuit 34,
An auxiliary battery 33 is connected in series to a power supply line 32 from the main battery 13, and the voltage of the auxiliary battery 33 causes the main battery 1
The decrease in the output voltage from 3 is compensated.

By the way, the discharge characteristic of the main battery 13 normally draws a discharge curve shown by a solid line in FIG.
In the case of the configuration as in this example, when the output voltage of the main battery 13 becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined voltage value, the auxiliary battery 33 is connected in series to the main battery 13 and additionally assisted so that the entire discharge characteristic is improved. Since the discharge curve is indicated by the broken line, the output of the main battery can be maintained and the entire battery can be used efficiently.

The output of the auxiliary battery 33 may be made variable to compensate for the voltage drop at the end of discharge of the main battery 13 so that the output voltage of the power supply device is always constant. That is, for example, between the power supply line 32 and the auxiliary battery 33,
It is also possible to provide a booster circuit for the auxiliary battery 33 and control the booster circuit according to the voltage of the main battery 13.

Further, the display scale of the dedicated remaining capacity meter provided in each main battery 13 and auxiliary battery 33 is set according to the respective capacity. That is, since the main battery 13 has a relatively large capacity, it is known that the accuracy of the remaining capacity meter cannot be expected to some extent. On the other hand, since the capacity of the auxiliary battery 33 is smaller than that of the main battery 13 and the absolute remaining capacity of the auxiliary battery 33 can be strictly defined, the remaining capacity of the auxiliary battery 33 in a very fine scale size is reduced. , Can be grasped with high accuracy. Therefore, when the capacities of the main battery 13 and the auxiliary battery 33 are, for example, 1:10, the scale of each remaining capacity meter is
It is set to 1/10. In this way, the final remaining capacity of the entire battery including the auxiliary battery 33 can be estimated on a fine scale, so that the estimation accuracy of the entire remaining capacity can be improved.

Further, since the input changeover switch 36 and the external connection plug 37 are arranged on the power supply line 32, the main battery 13 and the auxiliary battery 33 are consumed, and the battery cannot be discharged for any reason. Even if
Easy to deal with. That is, the input selector switch 36
Is turned off, the power supply line 32 from the main battery 13 and the auxiliary battery 33 is electrically cut off, and then the external connection plug 37 is connected to an external power supply provided with a connection terminal corresponding to the plug 37. As a result, it becomes possible to drive the battery to a place where it can be charged. The external power supply may be a battery that is preliminarily installed or a battery that is normally installed in another vehicle. In the latter case, both vehicles can be moved together.

As described above, according to the power supply device of this example, the decrease in the voltage output of the main battery is reduced by connecting the auxiliary battery in series, so that the voltage decrease at the end of discharge of the main battery is compensated. Since the output can be made constant, the battery as a whole can be used efficiently, and the output as the power supply unit can be made constant, so that the vehicle running performance can be improved.

Further, when the auxiliary battery is used, the remaining capacity finally remaining can be estimated from the remaining capacity meter of the auxiliary battery having a smaller capacity and a smaller display scale than the main battery. By improving the estimation accuracy of the remaining capacity, the driver can accurately grasp the remaining travelable distance and the like.

Further, when the main / auxiliary battery is exhausted,
The changeover switch cuts off the connection of the power supply line and the external connection plug connects to the external power source, so that the vehicle can run on its own. For example, this external power supply
If the vehicle is of the same type with a sufficient battery capacity, it can easily be accompanied. In addition, a spare battery or the like prepared in advance outside the vehicle can be connected via this external connection plug, so that flexible measures can be taken.

Furthermore, even when the discharge output performance of the main battery is lowered due to the low temperature at the start of the low temperature environment, the power supply device of the present invention can compensate for this voltage drop and the running performance of the vehicle. Can be maintained. That is, it is possible to prevent the output voltage from decreasing until the main battery is heated by the operating heat of various devices and returns to the normal output state after the vehicle starts at a low temperature.

The power supply device can also be used for a power failure compensating device that reliably supplies a certain voltage to a certain device during a power failure.

[0065]

[Embodiment 3] Further, a power supply device for an electric vehicle according to a third invention of the present application will be described with reference to specific examples shown in FIGS.

In the power supply device of this example, the assembled battery as a main battery is divided into batteries connected to a voltage that is harmless to the human body, and these batteries are cableless by mounting a cover provided with a conductive conductor. By connecting, it is possible to reliably prevent electric shock and ensure sufficient safety.

That is, in the power supply device 41 of this example, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a plurality of batteries are connected in advance to a voltage that is harmless to the human body, for example, a DC voltage such as 24V. Blocked batteries 13A to 13C configured by
And a mounting case 42 for fixedly storing the blocked batteries 13A to 13C in a predetermined state, and a case cover 44 provided with a conductive conductor 43 provided according to each terminal position of the blocked batteries 13A to 13C. It consists of Then, the blocked battery 13A to the mounting case 42
13C is housed and the case cover 44 is set so that the blocked batteries 13A to
13C are connected in series to each other to form the main battery 13, and the terminals of the main battery 13 are provided to be connected to the traveling motor 7 via the motor drive circuit 18 on the vehicle body side.

Each of the blocked batteries 13A to 13C is composed of a set of batteries 13a, 13b, ... Connected by a cable 45 so as to have a voltage that does not adversely affect the human body.

The mounting case 42 has an opening at the top and has an internal space shape of a plurality of batteries 13a to 13a to be mounted.
According to the shape of 13f, the battery 1 is formed into a rectangular parallelepiped shape.
3a to 13f can be stored and fixed at predetermined positions.

Further, the cover 44 is formed in a flat plate shape having an area that closes at least the upper opening of the mounting case 42, and is formed using an electrically insulating material. Conductive conductors 43 corresponding to the connection terminals of the blocked batteries 13A to 13C and the motor drive circuit 18 housed in the case 42 are provided on the lower surface of the cover 44 facing the blocked batteries 13A to 13C. There is. The conductive conductor 43 uses copper as a material and is formed in a long plate shape having a large plate thickness, so that power loss during energization can be reduced. Therefore, when the cover 44 is attached, the case 4
Blocked batteries 13A to 13C stored and mounted in
While being connected to each other in a predetermined manner without cables, the cover 44
When the two are removed, the connection with each other is released.

Therefore, by configuring in this way,
When the blocked batteries 13A to 13C are stored in the case 42 and the cover 44 is finally attached and fixed, the conduction conductor 43 is formed.
The blocked batteries 13A to 13C are connected in series with each other to form the main battery 13, and at the same time, the main battery 13
Since both ends of are connected to terminals connected to the motor drive circuit 18, a relatively high voltage such as 72 V is supplied from the main battery 13 to the motor 7 via the motor drive circuit 18. You can

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, when the cover 44 is removed during the work of checking the state of individual batteries or exchanging the batteries, the connection between the blocked batteries 13A to 13C is released, and the single batteries Blocked battery 13
Since the voltages of A to 13C are set in advance to such a level that the human body is not adversely affected, it is possible to surely prevent electric shock.

As described above, according to the power supply device of the present embodiment, the blocked battery having a plurality of batteries connected thereto is connected by the conductive conductor provided on the cover, so that the battery state check and replacement can be performed. It is possible to reliably prevent electric shock during work. Also, when replacing the exhausted main battery,
Only the removal of the cover is required, and the attachment / detachment of the connection cable accompanying the unloading of the individual blocked batteries becomes unnecessary, facilitating the replacement work.

The above-mentioned specific examples are not mutually exclusive, and can be appropriately combined in any suitable way to be applied to a single electric vehicle, thereby enhancing the performance as a power supply device. , Which can improve the overall performance of the electric vehicle.

[0075]

As described above, according to the first invention of the present application, in a power supply device for supplying electric power to a traveling motor of an electric vehicle and a control circuit group mounted therein, (1) a plurality of batteries are connected. An assembled battery that outputs a predetermined motor voltage, and (2) an individual battery that forms the assembled battery or a plurality of individualized batteries that form the assembled battery. Alternatively, a selection switch for selectively connecting each of the plurality of individual batteries in parallel to the control circuit group,
(3) Discriminating means for discriminating the electric energy state possessed by the individual battery or the plurality of individualized batteries,
(4) Based on the electric energy state, the control means for selecting the individual battery or the plurality of individualized batteries having the maximum energy, and performing the connecting operation of the selection switch based on the selected battery. It is a power supply device of the equipped electric vehicle.

Therefore, since the state of the remaining capacity of each battery or each of a plurality of individualized batteries is discriminated and the one having a large capacity is used for supplying power to another circuit, the remaining capacity of each battery varies. Can be reduced and used on average, and the total power energy of each battery can be efficiently used as the main battery as a whole. That is,
Only certain batteries can be prevented from over-discharging and the available capacity per charge can be increased. In addition, since the discharged state of each battery can be made uniform, at the end of charging, an even charged state can be obtained. Furthermore, since it is possible to prevent a charge-discharge burden that is biased to a specific battery, it is possible to increase the number of times of repeated charge-discharge of the battery. As a result, the performance of the power supply device can be improved, and therefore the travelable distance of the electric vehicle can be increased and the overall performance can be improved.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in a power supply device for supplying electric power to a traveling motor of an electric vehicle and a control circuit group mounted therein, (1) a main battery for supplying electric power to the motor via a power supply line. And (2) voltage detection means for detecting a decrease in the output voltage of the main battery, and (3) series connection to the power supply line through connection means that can be connected to and released from the power supply line to supplement the voltage decrease of the main battery. A power supply device for an electric vehicle, comprising: an auxiliary battery; and (4) a control unit that outputs a connection signal to the connection unit when the voltage of the main battery drops, based on a voltage drop signal from the voltage detection unit.

Therefore, since the decrease in the voltage output of the main battery is reduced by connecting the auxiliary battery in series, the voltage decrease at the end of discharge of the main battery can be compensated and the output can be made constant, and the battery as a whole can be made. In addition to enabling efficient use, the output of the power supply unit can be made constant, so that the vehicle running performance can be improved.

Further, when the discharge output performance of the main battery is lowered due to the low temperature at the start of the low temperature environment, the auxiliary battery can be used to supplement the voltage drop of the main battery to maintain the running performance of the vehicle. be able to. That is, it is possible to prevent the output voltage from decreasing until the main battery is heated by the operating heat of various devices and returns to the normal output state after the vehicle starts at a low temperature.

A third invention of the present application is, in a power supply device for supplying electric power to a traveling motor of an electric vehicle and a control circuit group mounted therein, a case main body accommodating a plurality of batteries constituting a power supply, and the case main body. A case is formed by a case cover that covers the battery, and the case cover further connects the batteries to each other, or a battery group and another battery group connected in advance to each other, or one of the batteries in advance. The power supply device for an electric vehicle is configured to include a conducting conductor that connects the connected battery group to each other.

Therefore, since the blocked battery to which a plurality of batteries are connected is connected by the conductive conductor provided on the cover, it is possible to surely prevent electric shock during the work such as checking the condition of the battery or replacing it. When replacing a consumed main battery, all that is required is to remove the cover, and attach / connect the connection cable that accompanies the loading / unloading of individual blocked batteries.
This eliminates the need for removal, etc., and facilitates replacement work.

As described above, according to the invention of the present application, (1) the use condition of each battery constituting the main battery is grasped, and the electric power is supplied in parallel from another battery having a margin to another circuit. (2) When the output voltage of the main battery drops, the auxiliary battery is connected in series to supplement the supply voltage.
(3) A power supply device for an electric vehicle having various performances can be obtained by a configuration in which a blocked battery connected to a human body at a voltage set to be harmless is connected by a conductive conductor provided on a cover. is there.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an electric motorcycle, which is an example of an electric vehicle of the present invention, in which (a) is a side view showing a schematic overall configuration, and (b).
FIG. 4B is a sectional view taken along line bb in FIG.

FIG. 2 relates to a power supply device for an electric vehicle of the first invention of the present application,
It is a circuit block diagram which shows the whole schematic structure.

FIG. 3 is a circuit block diagram showing a data collection device according to the power supply device of the present embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a graph showing a use state of each battery constituting the main battery at a certain point in time during discharging and using the main battery according to the power supply device of the present embodiment.

FIG. 5 relates to a power supply device for an electric vehicle of the second invention of the present application,
It is a circuit block diagram which shows the whole schematic structure.

FIG. 6 is a graph illustrating the discharge output operation of the main battery according to the power supply device of the present example.

FIG. 7 relates to a power supply device for an electric vehicle of a third invention of the present application,
It is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the overall configuration.

FIG. 8 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which the cover is removed in the power supply device of the present example, for example, when the main battery is checked or replaced.

FIG. 9 is a graph showing discharge characteristics of a general battery at constant current.

FIG. 10 is a graph showing the relationship between the discharge current value of a battery and the dischargeable capacity.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 electric motorcycle 2 vehicle body 2a seating seat 3 main frame 4 front wheel 5 rear wheel 6 handle 6a accelerator grip 6b brake lever 7 electric motor 8 for traveling 8 display panel 9 main key switch 10 electric power device 11 power transmission device 12 power supply device 13 Main battery 13a to 13f Battery 13A to 13C Blocked battery 14 Remaining capacity meter 15 Stabilization circuit 16 Control circuit 17 Charger 18 Motor drive circuit 19 Heat sink 20 Transmission device 21 Power supply device 23 Data collection device 24 Control stabilization circuit 25a to 25h Selection switch group 26 Switch drive circuit 27 Analog multiplexer 28 A / D converter 29 Micro computer 31 Power supply device 32 Power supply line 33 Auxiliary battery 34 Switch circuit 35 Voltmeter 36 Input changeover switch 37 External connection Plug 38 Remaining capacity meter for auxiliary battery 41 Power supply device 42 Case 43 Conductive conductor 44 Case cover 45 Cable

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Shinfumi Okayama 4415-2 Shinyoshida-cho, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Tokyo R & D Yokohama Works, Ltd. (72) Inventor Ho Fukazawa Kohoku-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa 4415-2 Shin-Yoshidacho Tokyo R & D Co., Ltd. Yokohama Office

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A battery pack for connecting a plurality of batteries and outputting a predetermined motor voltage in a power supply device for supplying electric power to a traveling motor of an electric vehicle and a control circuit group mounted therein, and the battery pack. Is provided corresponding to each of the individual batteries constituting the battery or each of the individualized batteries forming the assembled battery, and the individual battery or each individualized battery is selectively connected in parallel to the control circuit group. A selection switch for determining the electric energy state of the individual battery or each of the individualized batteries, and the individual battery or the individualized battery having the maximum energy based on the electric energy state. A plurality of selected batteries, and a control means for connecting the selection switch based on the selected batteries, and a power supply device for an electric vehicle. 2. The power supply device for an electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the determining means determines from the output terminal voltage or the remaining capacity of each battery. 3. The power supply device for an electric vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the determination process of the determination unit or the selection and connection process of the control unit is performed every predetermined time. 4. A power supply device for supplying electric power to a traveling motor of an electric vehicle and a control circuit group mounted therein, a main battery supplying electric power to the motor via a power supply line, and an output voltage of the main battery. Voltage detection means for detecting a voltage drop of the main battery, an auxiliary battery connected in series to the power supply line via a connection means that can be connected to and disconnected from the power supply line, and an auxiliary battery for supplementing the voltage drop of the main battery, and a voltage drop signal from the voltage detection means. A power supply device for an electric vehicle, comprising: a control unit that outputs a connection signal to the connection unit when the voltage of the main battery drops. 5. A power supply device for an electric vehicle, wherein the main battery and the auxiliary battery are provided with dedicated remaining capacity meters. 6. A power supply device for supplying electric power to a traveling motor of an electric vehicle and a control circuit group mounted therein, comprising: a case main body accommodating a plurality of batteries constituting the power supply; and a case cover covering the case main body. Make up the case,
Furthermore, the case cover mutually connects each of the batteries,
Alternatively, it is characterized in that a conducting conductor for connecting the pre-connected battery group and the other battery group to each other, or mutually connecting any of the batteries and the pre-connected battery group to each other is provided. Electric vehicle power supply.